Open: Not Just Another Book on Revelation - Volume 3

OPEN

Not Just Another Book on Revelation

Volume 3

June Yates Baker

Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. Revelation 22:10

OPEN

Not Just Another Book on Revelation, Volume 3

By June Yates-Baker

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 1996, 2014, June Yates Baker

All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphasis placed on Scripture with the use of bold print, underline, and/or italics is that of this teacher.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Note - Since this is a continuous work, chapter numbers in this volume begin with 11. Chapters 1 - 10 are contained in the first two volumes.

Introduction

Chapter 11 - The Great Whore and the Beast That Carries Her (Rev. 17)

A. The Great Whore

B. The Beast That Carries Her

Chapter 12 - The Destruction of Babylon (Rev. 18:1 - 19:5)

A. Comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah

B. Quick and Sudden

C. Her Bricks Will Not Be Reused

D. Babylon Judged Guilty, Sentence Imposed

E. The World Mourns the Loss of Babylon

F. The Sentence is Executed

G. Rejoicing in Heaven

Chapter 13 - The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6 - 10)

A. Praise and Honor to God

B. What is the Marriage of the Lamb?

C. The Bride of Christ

D. Preparation of the Bride

E. The Betrothed

F. The Wedding Garment

G. Blessed are They

H. The Parable of the Marriage Feast

I. Worship God

Chapter 14 - The Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:11 - 21)

A. The Second Coming of Christ

B. The Battle Itself

C. Putting It All Together

D. The Battle is Over

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About the Author

Introduction

Volume 3 begins with a look at Revelation 17 and a most unusual vision of a great whore aback a beast. Unusual visions from the book of Daniel are also brought into this volume as they tie in to the prophetic destruction of Babylon and the kingdoms of the antichrist. We will then experience the great celebration at the marriage feast of the Lamb and finally end this volume as a part of the Battle of Armageddon. What part is up to you.

This volume contains some of the most vibrant imagery in the Bible. The visions from both Revelation and Daniel are often the topic of great discussion and debate. The battle of Armageddon has become a real event turned subject of many fictional movies and novels. By the time you finish this volume, I trust you will have a better grasp of both their meaning and reality.

Remember, these four volumes are a continuous work, so chapter numbers in Volume 3 begin with 11. Chapters 1-10 were part of the first two volumes.

Chapter 11

THE GREAT WHORE AND THE BEAST THAT CARRIES HER (CHAPTER 17)

In this chapter of our study we will experience with John a most bizarre portion of the vision, wherein John sees a woman designated as a great harlot riding upon yet another strange beast.

Although the lesson concerning Revelation 17 will be broken into two major parts, it is not logical to separate the Scripture. The full chapter should be read together so we have a clear picture of the entire vision to help us understand the two individual parts. Such is the path we will follow in studying this passage, reading Revelation 17 in its entirety, then coming back and approaching it piece by piece.

Before we begin, there are a few concepts we should grasp. Doing so will ease the understanding process and hopefully ward off confusion in both this and the next chapter.

First of all, Revelation 17 and Revelation 18 are closely related, both speaking of the destruction of Babylon. They are not, however; both speaking of the same Babylon. We will study first a mystical, symbolic Babylon and later, in Revelation 18, the literal city. Evidence of the difference and comparisons will be provided throughout the study.

Secondly, it must be understood that Revelation 17 is given parenthetically. The events we will study in this chapter will actually occur during the first half and in the middle of the tribulation period. Revelation 18, on the other hand, is in its proper order following the seventh vial, and can even be considered a part of that vial. It actually is a detailed explanation of the destruction of Babylon which occurs during the great and mighty earthquake of the seventh vial judgment (Revelation 16:19). Again, evidence of this statement will be included in our study.

To put it more simply, it is as though the angel talking with John throughout the vial judgments tells or shows him all of the events of the seventh vial. In so doing, he says that a great and horrible earthquake will occur which will, among other things, destroy Babylon. He finishes narrating the events of the seventh vial, and then would say something like this –

Now let’s back up. I want to explain and give you a little more detail on the destruction of Babylon. First of all, you have to understand that there are two Babylons, a spiritual one and a literal one. He then tells of the destruction of the spiritual Babylon in Revelation 17.

After he is sure that John understands what the mystical Babylon represents and how it will be destroyed, he proceeds, Now that you’ve got that down, let’s go back to the earthquake of the 7th vial and I will tell you more about the destruction of the literal city.

By giving John the Revelation in this manner, the Lord clears any misconception concerning these future events as it is important to distinguish between the two.

Having this understanding – let us proceed to Revelation 17, and our study of the woman and the beast.

Revelation 17:1-18

1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

A. The Great Whore

We should first identify this woman. To do so, let’s look closely at what we are told about her and fit the pieces together to determine who she symbolically represents.

She is called the great whore with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication (vs. 1, 2). This very first description of the woman reminds us that we are in a chapter of symbolism. Yes, a physical woman can live as a harlot and commit fornication. However, the likelihood of one woman doing such with the various kings and leaders all over the world is minute.

So let’s go back to our teaching of Revelation 14. In that chapter we saw the 144,000 Jews standing with Jesus on Mount Zion, and we studied the characteristics of a people found worthy to join with Christ in Heaven. One of those characteristics was that they had not defiled themselves with women, they had maintained their purity.

Our study of that chapter brought out the Biblical reflection of loyalty to God as virginity; and of the worship of false gods and involvement in pagan religions as adultery and fornication. We pointed out the words of Jeremiah the prophet to Israel wherein the Lord tells Israel, I am married unto you, and where He tells Israel that they have played the harlot with many lovers and have walked unashamedly in whoredom (Jeremiah 3).

We referenced other Scripture at that time as evidence of the Biblical symbolism of virginity and fornication to our spiritual loyalty or adultery; knowing that we are the bride of Christ and are to be presented to Him as a chaste virgin (2 Corinthians 11).

Since this woman is not physical, she must symbolize then that which is symbolized throughout the Bible as harlotry – the worship of false gods, or spiritual fornication.

The woman, being the great harlot, represents a false, paganistic religion in which ceremonial practices to idols, superstition and dominating regulations (legalism) will prevail.

She commits fornication with the kings of the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are made drunk with the wine of her fornication. This woman spreads her influence throughout all the earth. She does so by seducing the world leaders, or kings; who in turn support her ungodly practices to the people of their lands. Religious law will prevail as dictates are put into effect mandating this religion be the religion of the nations. People of every class will be drawn into the embrace of this great harlot.

The woman represents a false religion that will influence the kings of the earth and the inhabitants of their lands.

The woman sits upon the beast (vs. 3). This describes the woman as having great power. The rider of animal – be it ox, camel, horse, donkey – has the power over that animal. They control and steer. They instruct the animal to walk in a given direction, to move at a given speed and to perform given tasks as the rider deems necessary. We will soon see that the beast on which she rides represents various nations of the world. This religious system will have great political aspirations, seeking to rule the world.

The woman represents a false religion that will not only influence the kings of the earth and the inhabitants of their lands, but will have control over them as it grows politically into a position of power.

She is clothed in purple and scarlet, and wears much gold, pearls and precious jewels. She drinks from a golden cup (vs. 4). The woman is obviously very wealthy, and has assumed a position of royalty.

First of all, purple was the color of royalty. The dye was extremely expensive because of the difficulty in its production. Purple dye was made from shellfish found in the Mediterranean Sea. To make just one ounce of the dye, 250,000 mollusks were required. Purple was therefore reserved for kings and royalty. (It was a purple robe that they mockingly put on Jesus as they scoffed at His claim to be king of the Jews.) The scarlet dye was also expensive, although not as costly or precious as the purple. Scarlet attire was a mark of prosperity, in that only the very wealthy could afford it. Further evidence of the woman’s riches are found in the fact that she is adorned with gold, pearls and other precious stones; and she drinks from a cup made of gold.

The woman represents a false religion, or religious system, that has acquired extensive wealth and a position of royalty or authority in the world.

Her cup is filled with abominations and filthiness of her fornication (vs. 4). She presents herself to the world in a position of power and prestige, no doubt claiming truth and integrity. However, she is nothing more than a harlot influencing others in filth and causing them to join with her in things found as an abomination to God.

An abomination is something that is found detestable or disgusting, especially idolatry; and idolatry will be the principle doctrine of this worldwide religion. Throughout the Bible we can find various sins that are defined as an abomination unto God. It goes without question that God would despise any effort to place a false god or a man or a possession – anything – in a position above Him to be worshipped and prayed to therein defiling His name. Such are the words Christ to the Pharisees:

Luke 16:14, 15 (NKJV)

14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.

15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

In Ezekiel 43:6-8, God admonishes Israel for defiling the temple and His name. He commands them to put away their whoredom and the abominations they have committed to no more defile the Holy Name of God. We are all instructed to put away such filth and abominations.

1 Peter 4:1-3 (NKJV)

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

The woman represents a religious system that presents itself as the true religion, but is in actuality spiritually corrupt. This religion is full of filthiness (lust, lewdness, drunkenness, greed, etc.) and abominations to God (idol worship).

The woman has a name written across her forehead: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (vs. 5). How strange a name. But a name not given without purpose or explanation.

We established at the beginning of this lesson that Revelation 17 and 18 will deal with a mystical Babylon and the literal city Babylon, respectively. It is the characteristics of literal Babylon that now help us learn more about the nature of this apostate religious-political power.

The first word in this woman’s name is MYSTERY. This word is one of dual meaning in identifying the woman. Initially, John is saying that the woman is currently unknown – she is a mystery. This is one of the indications that the woman does not represent literal Babylon, as literal Babylon was very well known at the time of John’s writings. The woman, on the other hand, was a mystery; meaning that at the time of John’s writings this system had not yet culminated to the power and influence that John saw for it during the tribulation period.

This point is again stressed in that John wondered with great admiration at the sight of the woman (vs. 6). In other words, John was trying to figure out exactly who she was because he was not familiar with her.

The other identifying factor in the word MYSTERY is in how it points to the Babylonian religions, giving us a better understanding of the religion governed by the woman. We will look at this second tie to mystery along with the remainder of the woman’s name, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

We have learned in earlier lessons that Babylon is referred to as that great city because man exalted himself as great above God in building the city; and because of the great power and wealth that Babylon possessed. Likewise will be the false religion represented by the woman.

Babylon was the home of the first apostate (faithless, disloyal to God) religion, or cult, after the flood. The city was built by Nimrod, who according to Genesis 10:8-10, was a mighty one on earth, a mighty hunter before the Lord. Nimrod built many cities with great walls that freed man of the fear of ravenous beasts and armies. These cities, he claimed, would also protect man from the wrath of God. On such principles was the Babylonian Empire founded.

You see, Nimrod was very bitter toward God for destroying his forefathers in the flood. As a matter of fact, in the Septjuent (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, translated from the Hebrew by 70 – or so it is believed – Jewish scholars), Nimrod’s title in Genesis of a mighty hunter before the Lord, is translated a mighty hunter against the Lord.

There was a Jewish historian, Josephus, who lived in the early years following the life of Christ, born in 37 AD and living about 67 years. He was a Pharisee who devoted much of his life to the study and recordation of history, and whose writings that could be found are still studied today. He said of Nimrod, when Nimrod led in the construction of the tower of Babel (the beginning of the Babylonian Empire) that Nimrod had said he would avenge